Kerry J. Goulston

Role modelling of clinical tutors: a focus group study among medical students

BackgroundRole modelling by clinicians assists in development of medical students’ professional competencies, values and attitudes. Three core characteristics of a positive role model include 1) clinical attributes, 2) teaching skills, and 3) personal qualities. This study was designed to explore medical students’ perceptions of their bedside clinical tutors as role models during the first year of a medical program.MethodsThe study was conducted with one cohort (n = 301) of students who had completed Year 1 of the Sydney Medical Program in 2013. A total of nine focus groups (n = 59) were conducted with medical students following completion of Year 1. Data were transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to code and categorise data into themes.ResultsStudents identified both positive and negative characteristics and behaviour displayed by their clinical tutors. Characteristics and behaviour that students would like to emulate as medical practitioners in the future included:1) Clinical attributes: a good knowledge base; articulate history taking skills; the ability to explain and demonstrate skills at the appropriate level for students; and empathy, respect and genuine compassion for patients.2) Teaching skills: development of a rapport with students; provision of time towards the growth of students academically and professionally; provision of a positive learning environment; an understanding of the student curriculum and assessment requirements; immediate and useful feedback; and provision of patient interaction.3) Personal qualities: respectful interprofessional staff interactions; preparedness for tutorials; demonstration of a passion for teaching; and demonstration of a passion for their career choice.ConclusionExcellence in role modelling entails demonstration of excellent clinical care, teaching skills and personal characteristics. Our findings reinforce the important function of clinical bedside tutors as role models, which has implications for faculty development and recruitment.

How to select the doctors of the future.

Although previous academic performance is acknowledged as the best predictor of achievement in medical school, no one has succeeded in finding a selection method which will choose students who will become doctors with the qualities the community expect. Australian medical schools use various selection methods. It could well be argued that the most important phase in the selection process is informed decision‐making by potential applicants. More effort should be made by medical schools to achieve this.

The cost of teaching an intern in New South Wales

Objective: To determine the cost of formal and informal teaching specifically provided for interns and to determine how much of an interns time is spent in these activities.

First year clinical tutorials: students’ learning experience

Background Bedside teaching lies at the heart of medical education. The learning environment afforded to students during clinical tutorials contributes substantially to their knowledge, thinking, and learning. Situated cognition theory posits that the depth and breadth of the students’ learning experience is dependent upon the attitude of the clinical teacher, the structure of the tutorial, and the understanding of tutorial and learning objectives. This theory provides a useful framework to conceptualize how students’ experience within their clinical tutorials impacts their knowledge, thinking, and learning. Methods The study was conducted with one cohort (n=301) of students who had completed year 1 of the medical program at Sydney Medical School in 2013. All students were asked to complete a three-part questionnaire regarding their perceptions of their clinical tutor’s attributes, the consistency of the tutor, and the best features of the tutorials and need for improvement. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The response rate to the questionnaire was 88% (265/301). Students perceived that their tutors displayed good communication skills and enthusiasm, encouraged their learning, and were empathetic toward patients. Fifty-two percent of students reported having the same communications tutor for the entire year, and 28% reported having the same physical examination tutor for the entire year. Students would like increased patient contact, greater structure within their tutorials, and greater alignment of teaching with the curriculum. Conclusion Situated cognition theory provides a valuable lens to view students’ experience of learning within the clinical environment. Our findings demonstrate students’ appreciation of clinical tutors as role models, the need for consistency in feedback, the importance of structure within tutorials, and the need for tutors to have an understanding of the curriculum and learning objectives for each teaching session.

Medical student education: what it costs and how it is funded.

The cost to Sydney University to educate a medical student in 2010 was obtained by dividing the total teaching costs by the number of students. This showed the annual cost to educate one medical student was

The hidden cost of medical student education: an exploratory study

53 093. Sixty‐one per cent comprised salaries. Fifty‐three per cent is met by Commonwealth funding and the Higher Education Loan Programme. Fees from international medical students contributed a margin of only 2% towards total education costs. The shortfall of 45% is provided from other sources within the university. This cross‐subsidisation may not be sustainable.

Rectal bleeding. Do other symptoms aid in diagnosis

OBJECTIVE To examine the hidden cost of medical education at the Sydney Medical School, for which the University of Sydney does not pay. METHODS All face-to-face teaching provided for students in the Sydney University Postgraduate Medical Program was listed under two headings: teaching by university employed staff; and teaching by other health providers not paid by the university. All teaching hours in 2010 were extracted from detailed timetables and categorised under these headings. Time spent in lecture preparation and exam marking was included. Students were sampled to obtain information about additional teaching that was not timetabled. RESULTS Teaching by university paid staff accounted for 59 and 61% of face-to-face teaching costs in years 1 and 2 of the 4-year Graduate Program, but only 8% in the final 2 years. The cost of medical education provided by the university, including infrastructure costs was

The psychological effects of being a prisoner of war: forty years after release.

56250 per student per year in 2010. An additional

Gastrointestinal morbidity among World War II prisoners of war: 40 years on.

34326 worth of teaching per student per year was provided by teachers not paid by the university. CONCLUSION The true cost of medical education is the cost of education met by the university plus the value of teaching currently provided by government funded health providers and honorary teachers. In 2010, 38% of the medical education cost at Sydney University was provided at no cost to the University. As government health departments seek to trim rising health expenditure, there is no guarantee that they will continue to contribute to medical education without passing this cost on to universities. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC? Some medical student teaching is provided by teachers who may be employed by a government health provider or who are honorary teachers. There is no cost to the university for this teaching. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? An estimate of the total value of teaching provided to students at Sydney Medical School, for which the university does not pay, is approximately

Rectal bleeding. Patient delay in presentation.

34000 per student per year, compared with the total cost of approximately